AgeGuess

AgeGuess is an on-line game that lets you guess the ages of other players as well as post your own photos for others to analyze. By participating in AgeGuess, citizen scientists create a research data set for the study of human aging.

The success of AgeGuess depends on participation. The game’s organizers request that players spend time on the site guessing other people’s ages but also upload several pictures of themselves and their family members of varying ages. Players earn points based on their guesses and can compete against other citizen scientists.

Project Details

PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST: Uli Steiner and Dusan Misevic

SCIENTIST AFFILIATION: Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity in Paris

What Is Citizen Science?

Research often involves teams of scientists collaborating across continents. Now, using the power of the Internet, non-specialists are participating, too. Citizen Science falls into many categories. A pioneering project was SETI@Home, which has harnessed the idle computing time of millions of participants in the search for extraterrestrial life. Citizen scientists also act as volunteer classifiers of heavenly objects, such as in Galaxy Zoo. They make observations of the natural world, as in The Great Sunflower Project. And they even solve puzzles to design proteins, such as FoldIt. We'll add projects regularly—and please tell us about others you like as well.

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